Presently, the construction of a shoe upper for a sports shoe requires a substantial amount of manual labor. While the production of a sole of a modem sports shoe can be automated to a great extent, the stitching of the different materials of the upper still requires a significant amount of manual labor.
The upper of a shoe typically includes a soft inner part that provides comfort to the wearer of the shoe. The inner part is stitched to a more stable material, for example, leather, either alone or in combination with different synthetics. The more stable material forms the outside of the upper of the shoe and provides the desired stability, wear resistance, and support to the wearer's foot. This type of construction results in multiple seams extending over the upper of the shoe. The seams interconnect the outer materials to the softer material(s) of the inner part. As stated above, these seams are typically created manually or semi-manually.
A different approach is used to create ski boots for downhill skiing. The complete shoe, i.e., the boot, including the sole, is produced as a single plastic part. Subsequently, an inner part is inserted into the single plastic part and, if necessary, attached to the surrounding plastic housing. A shoe construction of this type primarily provides protection of the ankle against injuries during skiing. It is, however, usually difficult to walk while wearing these shoes, because the plastic housing lacks flexibility.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a shoe, in particular a sports shoe, with a high degree of wearing comfort, but low manufacturing costs. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a shoe that reduces the amount of manual labor required to produce the upper.